Logic's End

by Keith Robinson

  Gasping in surprise, she watched as Sikaris glided down at them from a nearby rooftop. The feline alien's arms and legs were spread wide so as to catch the wind in the extra folds of skin that stretched from its wrists to its ankles. Landing gracefully just behind the two combatants, Sikaris opened its mouth wide as if to roar. But to Rebecca's surprise, although no audible sound was produced by the large alien, both Rysth-nuul and Tarrsk, one after the other, suddenly dropped to the ground.

  Following a moment of hushed silence, both of the downed creatures began to stir, each sitting up slowly as if awakening from a deep slumber.

  "What do you two fools think you are doing?" Sikaris demanded, staring at each of them in turn. "What is the problem?"

  Tarrsk stared up at Sikaris groggily, its voice emanating from its stomach. "I told you that the Krin power regulator from the second transport was slightly cracked before I took it off. Well, this Lid dung"—it pointed a scaly claw at Rysth-nuul—"was not careful and broke it the rest of the way." Rebecca noticed that after it finished speaking, its claw absentmindedly scratched at its side, causing several pieces of flaky white scales to fall to the ground.

  "It was so badly cracked anyone would have broken it," Rysth-nuul spat vehemently in defense. "And how do we know you did not crack it yourself?"

  Sikaris growled threateningly to ward off any further arguments. "What is done cannot be changed. Can you fix it?"

  Rysth-nuul shook its head. "This part has to be specially made. We do not have the right tools or the right materials to make a new one, and we cannot fix either of the damaged ones."

  There was complete silence as the ramifications of this proclamation dawned on each of them. "What are you saying?" Kyen'tir said, breaking the stillness at last with its harsh, squawking voice. "Do you mean that the transport will not run? That we are stuck here?"

  "Yes," Rysth-nuul said gravely.

  A loud unintelligible grunt erupted from Jorylk as the spiked creature threw its muscled arms up in the air in obvious frustration. Lohgar strode purposefully up to Prin, all three fists clenched tightly. "You filthy scientists. Why do you have to make these things so easy to break? Why do you not do something? You are supposed to be so smart," it said disdainfully.

  Prin stood its ground, staring right back at the armored ape creature but not bothering to reply to the accusation. As she watched, Rebecca could see tiny blue sparks crackling from the tips of Prin's many fingers. Ch'ran, hoping for another duel, jumped from the back platform to land just inside the open door of the vehicle so as to get a better view.

  It was disappointed, however, when Lohgar simply grunted and turned away from Prin to seek out easier prey. Its crooked gaze fell upon Rebecca. "It is this one's fault," it said, crossing over to stand in front of her. "Breuun should never have been taken in by your lies. I say we kill him right here for getting us into this."

  Rebecca drew her weapon in a flash but was immediately disarmed by the larger alien. With a malicious grin on its face, it grabbed her by the shoulders, ignoring the wound on her arm, and lifted her over its head where its third arm reached up and began choking her.

  She fought to remain conscious as the pain in her freshly bandaged arm burned anew and her lungs began to scream for oxygen. Then as if piercing through a dense fog, she heard a growl followed a second later by the seemingly far off translator.

  "Lohgar, put him down now!"

  The suddenness of the return of precious air caught her completely by surprise. However, before she could recover her wits, she was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground.

  Lohgar, clearly fuming inwardly, turned away without a glance and walked over to lean against the transport, mumbling to itself. Rebecca lay stunned and overwhelmed with pain. Don't show weakness, her thoughts screamed at her. Setting her will and gathering all her strength, she forced herself to stand.

  "Now each of you listen to me," Sikaris said. "It does us no good to fight with each other. If we are going to survive, we have to work together. Think. What options do we have? Can we contact the Grinathian base?"

  Prin was the first to speak. "Not unless we can get the engine running. The transmitters use power from the engine."

  "What if Kyen'tir flies back for help? We can wait here until he returns with another transport," Tarrsk said hopefully.

  "I cannot fly that far," the feathered reptile replied matter-of-factly.

  "Besides, we are in Ryazan territory," Rysth-nuul said with a sneer. "They would probably see him and kill him, and we would be waiting for help that would never come. I would not be surprised if they are on their way here now to see if the Mrdangam left any scraps."

  The grating sound of Ch'ran's laughter interrupted the conversation. "Why do we not just put a sign up"—Ch'ran couldn't stop himself from giggling—"on top of"—he giggles some more—"one of the buildings that says, 'Free Food'?"

  Jorylk, standing on the ground below the small creature, backhanded Ch'ran and sent it sprawling into the interior of the vehicle, shutting the door behind it. "Idiot Harmath," it said clearly for once.

  Sikaris scanned the group. "Rysth-nuul does have a point. The Ryazan may be on their way here already." Looking up at the sun, it added, "And we only have a few hours of sunlight left. Whatever we decide, we need to decide soon."

  A heavy silence descended on the group, broken only briefly by the reappearance of Ch'ran coming around the vehicle after exiting through the opposite door.

  "I have an idea," Rebecca said tentatively, causing all eyes to turn toward her. Still fighting against the pain in her arm and the bruise on her throat, she took a steadying breath and continued. "We are very close to my ship. Once we get there, my people will gladly return you to your base."

  The aliens exchanged glances with each other as they considered the idea. "And if they do not," Lohgar said with a grin, "then it should not be too hard to kill a bunch of weak-skinned beings and take the ship for ourselves."

  Rebecca swallowed hard at the thought, cracking the knuckles on her right hand unconsciously.

  Sikaris nodded. "His ship is less than fifteen miles away, just around the corner of the mountains. We can be there before sunset."

  "If we do not get killed first," Rysth-nuul said pessimistically.

  "Know this, Rebecca," Sikaris said, its gaze piercing through her. "If your ship is not there, you will die. Now unless anyone else has a better idea, grab some food and other needed items from the transport. We leave in ten minutes."

  The creatures all headed toward the broken-down vehicle, leaving Rebecca sitting alone on the rough ground and wondering once again if she had just made the right decision.

  10

  Ryazan

  THE GROUP moved with the efficiency of a well-trained military unit so that within the ten-minute time period given by Sikaris, all needed equipment was placed into backpacks and travel bags and distributed proportionally by size. In addition to Rebecca's own equipment, several small packets of medical supplies were placed in her backpack.

  Once everyone was prepared, the motley group of aliens assembled outside the transport. "Jorylk," Sikaris said to the large spiked being. "Do you think you can find us a quick path to the mountain, or have things changed too much since your clan lived here?"

  Before the alien could reply, however, Ch'ran spoke up, a look of cherubic innocence on its devilish face. "If Jorylk cannot remember the way, I am sure that Nix could help."

  A spiked fist swung at the small creature but went wide as Ch'ran leapt to the side, who was laughing like a child playing a game. This only served to enrage the creature more.

  Sikaris intervened in time to keep the situation from deteriorating further. "No, Ch'ran," it said firmly.

  Jorylk's chest heaved up and down as it gulped in several breaths of air to try to calm itself down. Finally, having won the inner battle to control its temper, the alien answered Sikaris's original question, "I...find it...keep...Harmath away...." The last portion of its
sentence was punctuated by an evil glare at Ch'ran.

  "Good," Sikaris said. "Jorylk leads and then Rysth-nuul, Lohgar, Prin, Rebecca, and Tarrsk. Ch'ran and I will come last. Kyen'tir will continue to keep watch from above. Let us go."

  Jorylk led the group through the deserted streets at a brisk pace. At various intervals, they were forced to retrace their steps due to a blocked street or alley. As they traversed the ruined city, Rebecca heard a shrill grating sound behind her. Turning around, she scanned the area to determine the source of the noise. It took her a moment to realize that the sound she heard came from Ch'ran. The diminutive alien was bounding along as if on a Sunday afternoon stroll, deep in conversation with no one. Facing forward again, she commented to Prin, who was walking beside her. "I don't understand why Sikaris brought Ch'ran on this...hunt. He is clearly insane."

  "That is a non-lie," Prin responded. "But Ch'ran is a very good fighter, and his small size can come in useful at times. Although he is insane, he is also very intelligent."

  "Intelligent?" Rebecca said doubtfully. "He talks to himself."

  "Yes, yes. You speak of Nix."

  "Who or what is Nix? Is it a real being?"

  Prin looked at her with its mismatched eyes. "Ch'ran believes that he can talk to and hear an invisible being. I do not believe Nix is real, but I must say that there are times when Ch'ran says strange things that make me wonder."

  They were both silent for a moment, and then Prin asked, "Do you have any creatures on your planet that talk to unseen beings?"

  "Yes," Rebecca said softly. "Many." She thought back to her childhood when her parents made her attend church services every Sunday, and how she learned all of those stories about people who talked to God. Shrugging off her memories and the implications they held, she changed the conversation. "Jorylk seems to really hate Ch'ran. Is it just because he's crazy?"

  Prin's crooked face brightened, as if preparing itself to tell a bit of good gossip. "Yes, yes. Jorylk does hate Ch'ran. He hates him because he is crazy, yes, but also because he is from Clan Harmath. Jorylk was captured by Clan Harmath and tortured for many cycles. During that time, Clan Joktan, Jorylk's clan, was destroyed. When he finally escaped, he returned to find his clan gone, so he joined us.

  "When he first met Ch'ran, he nearly killed him. He has learned to control himself better, but I think that Ch'ran enjoys bothering Jorylk. One day, Ch'ran will go too far. Jorylk is not someone you should bother. He loses his temper very easy, yes, yes." Prin's face became serious. "Let me warn you, when Jorylk gets in a fight, get away from him. He often becomes so angry he does not know his companions from his enemies."

  Rebecca looked forward and studied the large alien with renewed interest. As she watched, she saw the creature suddenly grab its abdomen and double over slightly as if in pain. Immediately, it straightened and continued on as normal, acting as if nothing had happened. Deciding to keep her observation to herself, Rebecca returned to her conversation. "What about Rysth-nuul and Tarrsk? Do they hate each other as well?"

  The ferret creature gave Rebecca one of its strange shrugs. "Not any more than anyone else, at least as far as I know. But I do know that Kyen'tir's clan"—it pointed upward toward the flying alien—"Clan Phaxad, was destroyed by Tarrsk's clan, Clan Torlig."

  Thinking of the strange aliens brought to mind the recent skirmish she had witnessed. "Prin, how did Sikaris stop Rysth-nuul and Tarrsk? I didn't see or hear anything come from his mouth, and he used no weapon."

  Prin smiled. "Yes, yes. Remember that I told you that each clan has abilities to help it survive? Sikaris can project his voice at a creature, but he focuses it only at his victim so that others around do not hear. His voice is so loud that it causes even some of the strongest beings to be stunned for a short time. I have often asked Sikaris to let me study him to see if we could make weapons like that, but he will not let me."

  Rebecca felt the familiar tingle of excitement course through her body that she always felt when making some new scientific discovery. "Fascinating," she said aloud. "A creature that can focus sound. And Tarrsk, am I right that he can eat rocks and change them into projectiles that can be expelled at high velocities from its tentacles? Can he eat metals as well?"

  "Yes, yes," Prin said energetically. "He can use both. He contains an extra stomach that grinds up the materials and then sends them through a thin system of tubing that sharpens them and then finally to a holding pouch, which feeds into the tentacles. The whole process takes just under thirty seconds. It is quite amazing."

  "And it seems that he also has the ability to change the color of his scales to blend in with his background. Except for those white patches. What are those?"

  Prin cocked its head in some unreadable gesture. "Tarrsk has a skin disease that affects portions of his body. Because those white patches cannot change color, it caused Tarrsk to be a problem to his clan. Yes, yes. The Torlig use their ability to blend in to hide until their prey is close to them, and then they attack. Tarrsk's disease would give them away. He was forced to escape from his own clan because they were angry with him for ruining a very important hunt."

  "And what about Kyen'tir? Does it have any special abilities other than flight?" she asked curiously.

  Prin nodded. "Kyen'tir's feathers not only allow it to fly, but they can also be used as weapons. When he tugs on a feather, it becomes filled with a liquid that makes it heavy at the tip, which is very sharp, yes, yes. He then pulls the feather all the way out and can throw it like a knife. The only problem is that it takes a few days for the feathers to grow back, so the numbers that he can use are limited, especially because the more he uses, the more difficult it is for him to fly."

  As they walked, their discussion turned to many of the various species on the planet. Rebecca mentally catalogued everything she was learning, the intellectual exercise keeping her mind from dwelling on other more unpleasant thoughts.

  Before long, the team had left the ruins behind them and began crossing the open plains. The ground was dry and cracked with large boulders and rocks littering the countryside. Although she had become used to the barren landscape of this planet, she still found it odd to see absolutely no vegetation anywhere. It almost seemed that the soil itself was incapable of supporting life.

  After they had traveled about a mile and a half away from the ruined city, Rebecca noticed that their course was changing slightly. She checked her tracker to confirm her suspicions, then looked over at her companion.

  "Prin," she asked. "Don't we want to go around the east side of the mountain? It looks like we're heading more toward the west. That would take us into the side of it."

  Prin lifted its top right forearm and pointed off toward the mountains to the northeast. "We have to go around Bratsche Gorge. We are going around its western edge and then back to the northeast to go around the mountain. After that, the most dangerous part of our journey will be over, for we can, at least, find some cover among the rocky cliffs and passages of the mountain if we are attacked. But out here in the open, we are very weak."

  Abruptly, her translator switched to the intercom frequency; the dull, flat voice removing all urgency from the words. "Sikaris, Ryazan. Coming quickly from the southeast. From the ruins." Instantly, the group halted, all heads whipping around to look in the direction from which they had come. Far in the distance, a dust cloud rose into the air, its size growing steadily by the second.

  "Kyen'tir, how large is the hunting party?" Sikaris asked calmly, although Rebecca could sense tension in each of the other members of the group as they awaited the reply.

  The reptilian bird circled above their heads. "It looks like about twenty Vips and one heavy transport."

  Rysth-nuul cursed loudly. "I hate being right all the time."

  "What are Vips?" Rebecca asked Prin quickly as she closed her motion detector and slipped it into a pocket.

  Without even looking at her, it replied, "Small one-person vehicles."

  Ch'ran chuck
led to itself. "The menu is definitely going to be varied tonight! Roast Harmath, fried Torlig, Joktan with spiced Phaxad legs!"

  Sikaris ignored the insane alien and turned to face Prin, its demeanor calm and composed. "Arm several explosives and give them to Kyen'tir." As Sikaris continued speaking, the feathered alien landed on one of the large boulders that dotted the landscape near Prin. "Kyen'tir, I want you to drop them onto the wheels of the transport to see if you can slow it down. That might buy us enough time to reach the mountain. As for the Vips, we will have to try to outrun them."

  Prin grabbed three explosives from its belt and activated them with a small blue flash. It then tossed the cylinders to Kyen'tir, who caught them easily in its claws on the ends of its wings. "When you are ready to release them," Prin explained, "push the lever up. You have four seconds."

  Kyen'tir nodded its orange-colored head once in acknowledgment and then took flight. No sooner had its claws left the boulder than Sikaris turned to the others. "Now run! Those who reach the mountain first should lay down covering fire for the others. Go!"

  Not knowing what new horror approached, Rebecca began running, spurred on by her imagination of what pursued her. The others secured their bags onto their backs and immediately began running on all fours. In a matter of seconds, they had outdistanced her, causing panic to set in as she realized that she was about to be abandoned. Frantically, she called out to the receding forms in front of her. "Sikaris! Prin!"

  Both creatures stopped and stared at her. Prin responded first. "I know your arm was wounded, but you must use it or you'll die."

  Rebecca continued to run toward them, her sore knee beginning to throb once again. "But...I can't...I don't use my arms to run."

  Prin looked at Sikaris in disbelief, then turned back to look at her one last time. "Then the Ryazan will get you." With that, the ferret creature turned and began running quickly to catch up to the others.

  Thoughts of mutated aliens tearing into her flesh with clawed hands and eating her alive flashed through her mind, adding an extra burst of speed to her running. But it would not be nearly enough, she knew.